YSL La Laque Long Lasting Nail Laquer in Wintergreen ($20), from the YSL Midnight Garden Collection for Fall 2011.
It’s hard to tell, but do you think it looks more green or blue?
YSL Midnight Garden: Wintergreen La Laque Long Lasting Nail Laquer
Who Gardens at Midnight? YSL, Of Course, with the YSL Midnight Garden Collection for Fall 2011
Evenin’, gorgeous. What are you up to tonight? I’ve basically been laying low here at home, painting my nails, reading some magazines and just chilling with the boys.
I was fiending for sushi earlier tonight but didn’t want to drive the 20 minutes to the Japanese place I really like, so I just picked up one of those packages of pre-made sushi rolls (shrimp tempura) from Whole Foods.
Eh, it was aw-ite. 🙂
Oh, Lloyd Christmas got a trim at the salon this afternoon, so he’s back to his old self again. And then afterward he and I stopped by Nordie’s for a quick look around.
There were TONS of new fall products out on counters in the beauty department, but the purples, greens, pinks and reds from the new YSL Midnight Garden Collection kept me occupied. They’re available now in stores and online.
The 12-piece collection of stuff for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails feels pretty summery to me, which is great because I’m nowhere even remotely near ready for summer to end. Tropical flowers, exotic birds and fantasy midnight gardens (fo’ reals!) are supposed to have inspired the release, and I can see it, too, in the rich jewel-toned shades and the pale pink, peach and lavender pastels that pop against them.
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Get Homework Help with the New LORAC Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Natural to Dramatic Face Tutorial
If you’re a busy gal who craves classic glam and 
shades like peach and taupe, has LORAC got a kit for you. The new LORAC Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Natural to Dramatic Face Tutorial ($39) comes with five full-size products for eyes, lips and cheeks and two convenient step-by-step tutorials.
The first one demonstrates how to do a natural day look, and the second one covers a more dramatic look for nights (there’s also another card filled with additional tips). Most of the time I think the tutorials that come with kits sound cooler than they actually are. Often they’re little more than a few brief steps printed on the back of the packaging, but LORAC went a little further with these. The two tutorials have from six to seven steps printed with thumbnail images on 6″ x 6″ stickers and a spiral-bound card stock stand. You can either stand the cards up next to you while you follow along, or peel off the stickers and affix them to a mirror, counter or wall.
I felt like doing the dramatic red carpet night look today and was surprised by how little time it took — just 20 minutes, which isn’t bad for a full face.
Clockwise from the blush pan on the upper left: Blush in Soul, Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio in LORACstar, Front of the Liner Pro Liner, Couture Shine Gloss in Trend Setter and Multiplex 3D Lashes Mascara
Swatches from the left: Couture Shine Gloss in Trend Setter, Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio in LORACstar, Front of the Liner Pro Liner and Multiplex 3D Lashes Mascara
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Ryan Gosling: His Best Hair?
Not only does actor Ryan Gosling cause grown women to swoon at the sight of his abs, but homeboy’s also a good samaritan, as demonstrated by this on-the-fly video of him breaking up a fight on a busy New York street.
He swoops in around the 30 second mark… BAM!
Under other circumstances I might scream “HELL TO THE NO!” to the man-pri pants (eww!), but I was momentarily blinded by his bulging biceps (we take the good with the bad).
Born Ryan Thomas Gosling to mom Donna, who worked as a secretary, and dad Thomas, who worked in a paper mill, our boy’s backstory begins on November 12, 1980, in London, Ontario.
His parents divorced when he was young, leaving his mom to raise both Ryan and his older sister, Mandi. The three appear close, as Ryan often attends red carpet events with his mom and sis on his arms (insert collective “awww”).
Ryan cut his performance chops at a young age, singing with Mandi at weddings and performing with his uncle’s Elvis Presley tribute act (!). His first big break, however, came when he was 12 and landed a gig on the The Mickey Mouse Club as a Mouseketeer alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.
Fast forward to 2004, when a then 24-year-old Ryan (and his abs) starred in The Notebook opposite Rachel McAdams.
That pretty much sealed the deal, ya know? A star was born.
I’m thinking about starting a petition to permanently prohibit him from wearing shirts (for the good of womankind!)… I was moved to act after seeing him in all his ab-a-licious glory in Crazy, Stupid, Love. the other night.
I fear Ryan’s tum might be kept under wraps in his next film, though, a political drama called The Ides of March, set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival next Wednesday.
Oh, well. A girl can dream! 🙂
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S.
Green Day
How do you feel about green nail polish?
I love it. Of the nontraditional colors, it’s probably my fave.
Essie Power Clutch
I think I need to find clutch and a pair of boots to match this polish. 🙂
Essie Power Clutch, $8.
Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow: Are You Ready for These Swatches?
Bare Escentuals bareMinerals has something BIG lined up for fall, and the question is, are you ready?
The line is leaping into the thrilling world (it is to me) of pressed eyeshadow duos and quads with a brand new line of permanent collection products called Ready. The 19 pieces in the Ready Eyeshadow Collection, which arrives on counters this October (ready or not), consist of four quads ($30 each) and 15 duos ($20 each), and for a brand best known for their loose mineral eyeshadows, it signifies a brave shift in a bold new direction.
But what about the minerals…?
Don’t worry. They’re still here — in the form of something called “solid mineral technology.” bareMinerals went mining in the sea and put the stuff they found into pressed powder form. The shadows, according to the company, promise to deliver vivid pigments, as well as softer, smoother skin.
These just emerged from the surf this afternoon, so I haven’t had a chance to really dig into ’em yet, but I had to share pictures. From what I can tell so far, the vibrant powders feel soft and surprisingly smooth (and aren’t the product names GREAT!?). 🙂
Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow Collection: Full Collection Pictures
The Afterparty, clockwise from the lower left: Rowdy, Cheers, Mingle and Lights Down
The Dream Sequence, clockwise from the lower left: Boudoir, 500 Thread Count, Romp and Nightcap
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Which Limited Edition Makeup or Beauty Products Would You Like to See Made Permanent?
I live for new seasonal makeup and beauty launches, and finding a new color or product to obsess over thrills me from the top of my Lloyd Christmas bangs to the bottom of my flat arches. 🙂
But there are downsides to obsessively stalking new releases, in particular limited edition ones, and one of them has to do with time. Once limited edition products end their time in the sun, very often, like star-crossed lovers, never the twain shall meet again.
On rare occasions, however, the pigment-loving powers-that-be grant a product cosmetic clemency, either choosing to release it again in a future collection, or by giving it a permanent seat at the counter. More often than not, though, when it comes to the limited edition products we love, we’re forced to stockpile, Hoarders-style, combing The Cosmetics Company Stores and eBay.
Le sigh…
Wouldn’t it just be easier if every brand made their bestsellers permanent?
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